Briony Benjamin - Life Is Tough (But So Are You): How to rise to the challenge when things go pear-shaped

Some crap things you might
be experiencing right now

(SHITTIEST LIST IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD)

How to use this book

Well, its your book: you do whatever you damn well want with it! Take it to the beach, lend it to a friend, leave it on your bedside table, spill coffee on it, mark pages that are helpful. You can read it in one go or dip in and out of it when you need a hit of inspiration, strength or some comfort and guidance.

When you see text in this box, it is a question for you to ponder or an activity to do.

If youre feeling overwhelmed, you dont have to manage on your own. Theres a full list of helpful phone numbers and resources at the back of the book, starting .

An asterisk means there are links to evidence-based research, which youll find in the back of the book (see ).

PS. If you want to scribble along,
Ive made you a little gift
in the form of a free workbook

download it at brionybenjamin.com.au

Where it all began

The day before my life flipped upside down, I was at work in the Mamamia office thats the digital platform for women, not Mamma Mia! , the musical. I was Executive Producer of Video and I loved my job: it was seriously fun, getting to come up with amusing and impactful video ideas, star in them and often watch them go viral. Id meet and interview celebrities and experts as well as work on high-level digital strategy; not to mention the never-ending supply of cakes, treats and freebies that rolled in the door from brands and clients (it was very hard to be #sugarfree in that office).

I worked with a team of the most gorgeous and kind women Id ever come across, who were whip-smart, hilarious and always stylishly dressed normally in some combination of designer clothing and sneakers, and often featuring lots of sequins and sparkle. On this day in particular Id curled my long blonde hair. Id just had a spray tan and was wearing bright colours and bright lippy to compensate for feeling like a heavily caffeinated zombie. I remember my effervescent boss Mia Freedman walking past my desk in a characteristic fully sequined number and saying, Gosh, you look amazing!

Thanks. It must just be the spray tan, I joked.

I might have looked good, but on the inside, I felt rotten.

Feeling awful had become my new normal. I was so used to always being a bit icky and tired that I had started to believe that this is how I would always feel. Perhaps this is what becoming an adult felt like? I had become an expert at compartmentalising pain, putting on a smile and just carrying on. When people would ask me how I was, Id reply Im great! because it had become really boring, month after month, saying to friends and colleagues Ugh! I feel awful/sick/tired/like an achy deflated balloon. Or if I did say that, theyd often reply, Yeah, I feel really tired too, and so I just stopped telling them. I didnt want to be Briony the Buzzkill.